The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-06-29
L0ND0N'S NEWEST LION.
BUFFALO BILLS AUTOBIOGRAPHY
FOR PATRONS OF THE WILD WEST. 4

A Sample of the Yarns He is Telling His
Royal Friends--How he Got His Title
Other Facts in the Career of Mr.. Cody.
I was born in February, lS42, in the
State of Iowa. I need not go into detail
respecting my family, and can dismiss
my youth briefly by saying that when l
was not on horse I was just being
thrown off one. I soon became pretty
smart rider, and my practice with gun
was pretty good, too. was l2 years
when I killed my first Indian. It hap
pened rather sudden. I was waiting out
by the river, near Fort Kearney, one
night about 10 o'clock. My companions
had got on ahead somehow, and I was
quite alone, when looking up toward the
bluff bordering the river I saw, lluni-
mated by the moon, the head and shoul-
ders of live Indian, watching me with
evident interest. Now had heard
many STOKES of the doings of the red
men, and had also been inculcated with
thorough distrust of their ways; so,
quickl coming to a conclusion as to
what should do, I brought my gun to
my shoulder, and aiming at the head,
fired. The report sounded louder than
usual in the silence of the night, for it
was past 10 o'clock, and was followed by
war Hhoop such as could only be built
up by an Indian, and the next instant
over six feet of dead Indian came down
splash into the river.
Soon after this I went to business. I
took to the plains, and in the employ Of
Messrs. Russell and Simpson, soon
learned the ms and outs of the wild life
led with horses and cattle-driVing seams,
riding express ponies, and getting to
know the land. Among other things, l
somehow found out how to hunt buffalo,
a sport second to lone, if you know
how. shall never forget the faces OF
five officers I met on the prairie once,
now many years ago. They were after
q herd of buffalo. So was !. We e1-
changed views. I gave them my ideas,
they gave me their sympathy: 'You
surely don't expect to catch buffalo with
that Gothic steed, said they.
81 am going to try" I said.
"You'n never do it, man alive" said
the captain. cit wants fast horse to
overtake buffalo
"Does it?" I responded.
eyes, but you can come with US, II
you Like"
And I did Like. There were eleven
bufalos in the herd, and while the
officers rode straight at them, I headed
the leaders and got up to them with
ease. The horse which my companion
had been chatting was the famous Brig
ham, who knew as much about the sport
as l did; he speedily did his part of the
business. 4 few jumps brought us up
to the herd. Raising ssLucretia Borgia,"
my trusty weapon, aimed at the FIST
animal, fred and brought him down,
Brigham, like the ideal animal that he
was, carrying me rapidly up to the next
brute, not ten feet away; and, when [
had dropped him, bounded on to the,
next, and so on, until had slain the
whole eleven animals, and then my
horse stopped. I dismounted to regard
nv work with feeling of satisfaction.
Those officers rode up shortly, and l
shall neve- forget their expression as
they surveyed the work of five minutes
lying around.
My horse Brigham was an exception
ally intellipent brute. He took the
keenest delight in sport, and invariably
took pains to aid me in getting game.
All he expected of me was to do the
shooting. The rest was bus work. He
would always stop if the buffalo did not
fall at the at the first shot, so as to give
me second chance; but if I did not
bring him down then he would go on
disguised.
It was in 1867 that the Kansas Pacific
track was in the buffalo country, and the
company was employing over twelve
hundred men in the making of the road
The Indians were very troublesome, and
it was not always easy to get sufficient
supplies Of fresh meat for the men. 1t
was about this time that Messrs. God
dard, the contractors to the constructors,
made me handsome offer, provided
would undertake to hunt for them. They
required twelve bufalos per diem. The
work was somewhat dangerous, owing to
the Indians, but the terms we're hand
some-$5OO per month. I took the offer,
and in less than eighteen months dur
ing which time my engagement lasted,
l killed 4,2S0 bufalos single-handed,
and had many scrimmages with the In
dians, and hairbreadth escapes. 1t was
during this period Of my career that l
had my celebrated buffalo killing match
with Billy Comstock, the noted scout.
then at Fort Wallace. The terms were
settled as follows: We were to hunt one
day of eight hours, from o. N. to 4 p.
m. The stakes were $500 side, and
the man who killed the most buffalo was
to be declared the winner. The contest
took place twenty miles east from Sheri-
dan, and many thousand people came
from all parts to see the sport. We were
fortunate in finding animals, and had
plenty of sport. We made three runs
each, and I killed sixty-nine bufalos,
my rival being content with forty-six..
Not a bad days work, a day which is An
historical one for me, inasmuch as SINCE
then have invariably been referced to-
in all parts of the civilized world as
Buffalo Bill.